More and more businesses are using postcard printing as their primary go-to marketing method.  A great way to save time and, therefore, money is to use postcard printing templates.  These templates ensure that the layout of your postcards is exactly as it should be so that your final product looks great every time.

If you have never worked with postcard printing templates, at first glance they can be intimidating.  Templates use a series of guides and lines to make sure that the important information is included while also preventing extra white space along the edges.  These guides and lines represent the bleed area, cut lines, and safety lines.

Bleed area
The outermost section, this area represents the section outside of the actual print area that you intend to use.  You extend your graphics beyond the normal print area of your postcard so that when your postcard actually cut there is no white line along the edge.

Cut lines
The middle line or area, these lines represent the theoretical point where your postcard should be cut.  Most professional printing firms have around a ¼” variance.  This means that your postcard could be as much as ½” larger or smaller than you expected.  This makes it all the more important to take advantage of the bleed area.

Safety lines
 The innermost section, these lines represent the area that you should make sure all of your content is within.  Anything outside of the safety lines risks being cut.  Keep in mind the ¼” variance that most printing firms require.

Conclusion
These template lines do not actually get printed, they simply serve as guides to make sure your postcard printing is exactly as you intend them to be.  Working with a template can save you a great deal of time and also ensure your results are consistent from project to project.